Introduction
The Progress Pride Flag is a widely recognized symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, designed as an evolution of the traditional six-stripe Rainbow Pride flag. It incorporates the original six horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, arranged from top to bottom, but adds a chevron (arrow shape) on the hoist side featuring five new stripes. This design intentionally creates a more inclusive visual representation by integrating colors symbolizing marginalized groups within the broader community.
The flag's layout is distinctive, with the chevron pointing to the right, symbolizing forward movement and progress. The new elements consist of black and brown stripes at the top of the chevron and light blue, pink, and white stripes at the bottom. This modification to the classic rainbow flag was created to address criticisms of underrepresentation and to emphasize intersectionality within LGBTQ+ advocacy.
As a modern vexillological symbol, it is not tied to a nation-state but is used globally by individuals, organizations, and municipalities to signal support for diversity, inclusion, and social progress. Its design complexity is higher than the original rainbow flag, making it a more visually detailed emblem of contemporary queer identity and activism.
Meaning & Symbolism
The flag's colors carry specific, layered meanings. The original rainbow stripes retain their symbolism of life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), harmony/art (blue), and spirit (violet). The added black and brown stripes explicitly represent LGBTQ+ people of color, acknowledging their struggles and contributions which have often been marginalized. The light blue, pink, and white stripes are directly taken from the Transgender Pride Flag, symbolizing the transgender and gender-nonconforming community.
The chevron's arrow shape is a key symbolic element, representing a need for forward movement and progress while also suggesting that the work of inclusion is ongoing and that focus should be on those at the margins. The placement of the new stripes along the chevron, pointing to the right, visually indicates that progress must always center and lift up these communities. The design as a whole communicates a commitment to a more intersectional approach to LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.
History of the Progress Pride Flag Flag
The Progress Pride Flag was designed in 2018 by American graphic designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). The design was launched via a Kickstarter campaign in that same year, titled "Progress: A PRIDE Flag Reboot," which successfully raised funds for its production and promotion. Quasar's stated intent was to create a flag that emphasized inclusion and progression, building upon the legacy of the Rainbow Pride flag while addressing its perceived shortcomings.
The flag rapidly gained widespread adoption following its release, being used in pride parades, corporate branding, and public installations around the world. Its creation is part of a longer history of pride flag evolution, following the original eight-color flag by Gilbert Baker in 1978 and its simplification to the six-stripe version. The Progress Pride Flag represents the most significant and widely accepted redesign since that simplification.
Curiosities
- The designer, Daniel Quasar, identifies as queer and non-binary, and the flag's design was directly informed by xyr own experiences and community feedback.
- The specific color values for the flag's stripes, including the trans flag colors and the black and brown, were carefully selected by the designer to ensure visual harmony and symbolic clarity.
- In 2021, a variant was created by Valentino Vecchietti that incorporated the intersex flag colors (a yellow field with a purple circle) into the chevron's design, further expanding the flag's inclusivity.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Progress Pride Flag in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Construction Sheet
The flag's construction is based on a 3:5 ratio. The field consists of the six equal-width horizontal rainbow stripes. On the hoist side, a chevron is superimposed, comprising five adjacent stripes. The chevron's shape is defined by lines extending from the top and bottom corners of the hoist to a point one-third of the flag's length from the hoist side. The chevron's stripes are of equal width within the chevron area, with black and brown at the top and light blue, pink, and white at the bottom.
Flags Similar to Progress Pride Flag
Common Misidentifications
Often confused with or mistaken for a simple variant of the traditional Rainbow Pride Flag, with the chevron overlooked or its specific meanings not recognized.